15 July 2014
German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the need for the Ukrainian government to engage in negotiations with the pro-Russian separatists as quickly as possible via video conference, reported on July 14 the press service of the Germany government after their meeting in Rio de Janeiro. The negotiations should aim for a bilateral ceasefire, the statement said, as well as the establishment of active control of the border and a mutual exchange of hostages. The Russian government should use its influence to broker talks that involve representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the separatists and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the statement said.
The same day, Merkel spoke with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who agreed to the need for urgent talks involving all sides. Merkel has recognized Poroshenko’s actions as legitimate, but called on him to weight these measures and defend the civilian population.
The EU has prepared a package of harsh sanctions against Russian leaders and will apply them depending on how the Russian-Ukrainian conflict unfolds, said on July 15 Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, as reported by the ITAR-TASS news agency. The EU Council will discuss the sanctions at its July 17 meeting, she said.
Zenon Zawada: Given that the Russian side won’t be satisfied with any outcome short of the federalization of Ukraine, we believe that Merkel has endorsed Putin’s proposals for talks because of the diplomatic need to keep the channels for peace open, regardless of the likelihood of such an outcome. We don’t share the widespread speculation that she’s accommodating Putin or his geopolitical plans for Ukraine. While Western leaders have an appropriate policy of pursuing peace at any opportunity, we don’t expect talks between Ukrainian leaders and the pro-Russian terrorists to lead to any peaceful solution. The situation is very much a zero-sum game, with little room for compromise.